U.  OF  I.  80PS. 

•• 


THE 


FOREST  TREE  CULTURIST: 


ON    THE    CULTIVATION    OF 


AMERICAN  FOREST  TREES, 


WITH   NOTES   ON 


THE  MOST   VALUABLE  FOREIGN  SPECIES, 


BY 

ANDREW  S.  DULLER, 

Horticulturist, 
AUTHOR  OP  "THE  GRAPE  CULTURIST,"  "STRAWBERRY  CULTURIST,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW  YORK: 

GEO.  E.  &  F.  W.  WOODWARD,  No.  37  PARK  ROW, 
OPTICE  or  "THE  HORTICULTURIST." 

1866. 

jr 


ENTERED,  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  op  CONGKESS,  ra  THE  YEAB  1866,  BY 
ANDKEW    S.    FULLER, 

IN  THE  CLERK'S  OFFICE  OF  THE  DISTRICT  COURT  FOR  THE  SOUTHERN  DISTRICT 
OF  NEW  YORK. 


DAVIES  &  KENT. 

Electrotypers  and  Stereotypers, 

183  WILLIAM  ST.,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE. 


SOME  years  since,  while  gratifying  my  taste  for  Horticultural 
experiments,  I  was  led  to  plant  seeds  of  many  of  our  native  forest 
trees.  The  results  satisfied  me  that  nothing  was  wanting  but  a 
better  acquaintance  with  the  nature  and  habits  of  these  seeds  to 
insure  success  with  them  as  uniformly  as  with  any  others ;  conse- 
quently I  gave  the  subject  attention,  and  by  observation  and  ex- 
periment learned  how  to  manage  not  only  the  trees  of  our  own 
forests,  but  many  foreign  varieties.  I  would  not  be  understood 
to  say  that  I  have  planted  seeds  and  raised  trees  of  every  species 
and  variety,  but  have  experimented  sufficiently  with  the  different 
species  as  to  know  whereof  I  write.  My  success  was  such  that  the 
Farmers'  Club  of  the  American  Institute  desired  me  to  give  at  one 
of  their  meetings  an  account  of  my  experiments,  which  I  did  briefly. 
This  was  published  as  a  portion  of  the  Report  of  the  meeting  in  the 
New  York  Tribune,  and  from  that  copied  by  other  papers  throughout 
the  country.  In  consequence  thereof,  I  have  received  many  let- 
ters asking  more  definite  information  on  different  points,  so  many 
that  I  have  been  unable  to  reply  to  them  so  fully  as  I  could  have 
wished. 

The  following  pages  were  written  for  the  purpose  of  giving  such 
information  as  the  public  seem  to  desire.  I  have  avoided,  so  far  as 
I  could,  the  use  of  botanical  and  scientific  terms,  having  written, 
not  for  professional  horticulturists  and  men  of  science,  but  for  prac- 


iV  PEEFACE. 

tical  farmers.  I  have  therefore  endeavored  to  give  the  hoiv  rather 
than  the  why,  the  practical  rather  than  the  theoretical.  The  man 
of  letters  will  also  undoubtedly  find  much  to  criticise  in  the  literary 
character  of  the  book ;  this  fault  I  regret  more  than  others  can  ; 
but  if  I  have  so  expressed  myself  that  the  reader  can  get  my  mean- 
ing, I  shall  be  content.  The  book  was  written  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  others  how  to  benefit  themselves,  and  while  doing  it  to 
conduce  to  the  wealth  of  the  country.  If  it  shall  aid  in  awaking  a 
more  general  interest  in  our  noble  forest  trees,  causing  them  to  be 
more  fully  appreciated,  not  only  for  their  intrinsic  worth,  but 
because  they  are  of  the  many  blessings  bestowed  by  the  Creator  upon 
this  our  country,  thea  my  object  will  be  fully  accomplished. 
WOODSIDE,  March  SQth,  1868. 


THE 


FOREST   TREE  CULTURIST. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

EVERY  civilized  nation  feels  more  or  less  the  need  of  an 
abundant  supply  of  forest  trees.  Whether  needed  for 
timber  to  be  used  in  the  erection  of  houses,  or  in  building 
ships,  or  for  the  more  common  but  none  the  less  important 
purpose  of  fuel,  there  is  nothing  that  contributes  more 
to  the  development  of  all  the  sources  of  national  wealth 
and  prosperity.  America  has  felt  this  need  the  least ;  but 
the  day  is  coming,  if  not  already  here,  when  her  people 
will  look  back  with  regret  to  the  time  when  forests  were 
wantonly.destroyed. 

It  is  true  there  have  been  many  cases  where  it  was  neces- 
sary to  clear  off  the  forest  that  the  land  might  be  culti- 
vated and  furnish  the  food  necessary  for  the  early  settler; 
but  it  is  well  known  that  thousands  of  acres  of  valuable 
timber  have  been  removed  from  land  unfit  for  cultivation, 
the  return  from  which  would  scarcely  support  the  laborers 
who  were  employed  in  cutting  and  drawing  it  to  the  near- 
est market,  or  converting  it  into  charcoal  and  ashes. 

The  land  from  which  these  forests  were  taken  is  now  a 
silent  waste,  when,  if  the  trees  had  remained  upon  it  to 


6  THE   FOKE3T   TKEE   CDLTUEIST. 

this  time,  its  increased  value  would  have  paid  the  interest 
on  its  original  cost  and  taxes,  and  left  a  large  surplus  to 
the  owner.  Regrets  over  past  follies  will  avail  nothing 
unless  they  teach  us  to  be  wiser  in  the  future. 

In  all  of  our  large  cities  anxious  inquiries  are  made  for 
that  indispensable  article,  timber.  If  we  would  extend 
commerce,  ships  and  docks  are  needed,  and  for  these  more 
or  less  timber  is  required.  The  builders,  the  houseless  and 
homeless,  rich  and  poor,  know  and  feel  the  need  of  it. 
Trees  suitable  for  piles  now  command  twenty  to  thirty 
dollars  each.  One  of  my  neighbors  not  long  since  sold 
one  hundred  for  three  thousand  dollars ;  ten  years  since 
half  that  amount  would  have  been  considered  an  exorbitant 
price.  Firewood  on  the  lines  of  our  great  railroads,  miles 
aAvay  from  our  cities,  sells  for  seven  and  eight  dollars  per 
cord;  and  if  the  demand  continues  to  increase,  soon  it  can 
not  be  had  for  double  that  amount.  The  demand  increases, 
although  coal  and  iron  are  persistent  competitors  ;  but  the 
supply  of  wood  decreases  more  rapidly.  There  is  no  rea- 
son why  the  supply  should  give  out ;  there  is  land  enough 
within  reach  of  our  great  cities  that  lies  uncultivated,  or, 
what  is  more  lamentable,  unprofitably  cultivated,  that 
might  be  made  to  grow  forests  of  good  timber  that 
would  return  to  their  owners  a  large  profit  on  the  invest- 
ment. 

I  know  many  large  land-owners  who  have  been  toiling 
for  the  past  thirty  years  to  lay  up  something  to  keep  them 
in  their  old  age  and  leave  a  balance  to  their  children. 
They  have  worn  themselves  out  as  well  as  their  land,  and 
that  something  for  which  they  have  so  arduously  labored 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

has  not  been  obtained,  and  their  children  are  likely  to  in- 
herit a  poor,  worn-out  farm  instead  of  that  competency 
which  their  father  expected  to  have  left  them.  Suppose 
these  men  had  left  one  half  their  farms  covered  with  the 
original  forest,  or  if  it  was  already  cleared  when  they  came 
into  possession  they  had  planted  one  half  with  forest  trees, 
and  then  expended  all  their  labor  upon  the  other  half,  they 
would  have  produced  better  crops  and  with  more  profit ; 
one  half  of  their  farm  would  have  been  rich,  and  the  other 
half  covered  with  a  forest  that  would  be  a  fortune  worth 
inheriting. 

Thousands  of  men  are  toiling  this  day  to  lay  up  wealth 
for  their  children,  when  if  they  would  invest  a  small 
amount  in  land  and  then  plant  a  few  acres  of  our  best 
forest  trees,  their  money  would  grow  into  a  fortune  by  the 
time  their  children  had  grown  into  manhood.  To  some 
this  may  appear  visionary ;  but  the  writer  has  lived  long 
enough  to  see  trees  grow  from  saplings  that  would  hardly 
bear  his  weight  at  ten  years  old,  up  to  great  trees  two  feet 
in  diameter,  and  he  has  scarcely  passed  the  half-way  house 
of  three-score  and  ten. 

In  many  portions  of  our  country  we  need  forests,  not 
only  for  supplying  us  with  timber,  but  for  protection 
against  winds  and  hurricanes.  The  farmer's  grain  is  often 
prostrated  by  winds  that  never  reached  his  fields  until 
these  protecting  forests  were  destroyed.  Fruit-growers 
are  seeking  the  best  means  of  shelter  for  their  orchards,  and 
a  remedy  for  that  dry  atmosphere  which  sweeps  through 
their  gardens,  shriveling  up  their  finest  specimens,  checking, 
if  not  entirely  annihilating,  their  ardor  for  fruit-growing. 


8  THE  FOREST   TKEE   CULTURIST. 

The  little  stream  that  formerly  came  singing  and  dancing 
down  from  the  great  wood  on  the  hill  is  now  seen  only  for 
a  few  weeks  in  the  early  spring  and  fall,  and  then  there  is 
nothing  left  but  its  dry  pebbly  track.  Is  it  not  time  we 
began  to  retrace  our  steps  and  again  cover  some  of  our  now 
barren  hillsides  and  many  of  our  valleys  with  those  trees 
which  were  not  only  an  ornament  and  blessing  to  our  land, 
but  would  now  be  a  source  of  incalculable  wealth? 

The  great  West,  with  its  wide-reaching  treeless  prairies, 
feels  the  need  of  forests  even  more  than  we  do  in  the  At- 
lantic States.  The  farmer  on  the  prairies  needs  a  shelter 
from  the  Avinds,  the  value  of  which  no  one  but  those  who 
have  experienced  the  want  can  appreciate.  In  no  way  can 
such  a  protection  be  provided  better  or  cheaper  than  by  a 
belt  of  trees.  Then  the  convenience  of  having  timber  near 
at  hand  for  building  fences,  stakes  for  vines,  trees,  and  a 
thousand  little  necessities  for  Avhich  wood  is  indispensable. 

A  fanner  who  has  provided  a  belt  of  trees  around  his 
farm  has  protected  his  fields  from  winds,  and  his  grain  will 
remain  standing  until  ready  to  harvest.  His  fruit  remains 
on  the  trees  until  ripe ;  and  in  a  great  measure  his  build- 
ings are  safe  against  those  fearful  hurricanes  which  fre- 
quently rush  with  such  destructive  force  across  those  level 
plains.  If  people  will  persist  in  residing  on  those  prairies, 
they  certainly  ought  to  be  protected,  but  they  should  learn 
how  to  do  it  themselves,  and  not  expect  that  Nature  will 
rear  it  merely  for  the  asking,  without  putting  forth  an 
effort  on  their  part. 

I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  spending  several  years  near 
those  grand  old  prairies  where  the  wind  went  and  came 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

•without  hindrance.  One  afternoon  on  coming  home  I  found 
my  house  unroofed,  and  the  place  where  a  greenhouse 
stood  in  the  morning  swept  clean,  not  a  flower-pot,  brick, 
or  piece  of  glass  left  to  show  that  I  ever  possessed  a  con- 
servatory of  fine  plants.  I  can  call  to  mind  several  in- 
stances of  like  character,  each  of  which  leads  me  to  think 
that  a  strong  protection  is  often  required  to  enable  the 
settler  in  the  "West  to  keep  his  foothold  after  he  has  ob- 
tained one. 

The  question  is,  How  shall  protection  be  the  most  read- 
ily provided  ? — how  shall  we  get  the  trees  we  need  ?  My 
only  answer  is,  Grow  them  !  This  will  require  time  and 
expense,  most  certainly — and  what  blessing  does  not  ?  It 
takes  time  to  get  wealth,  unless  you  are  so  fortunate,  or  un- 
fortunate, as  the  case  may  be,  as  to  have  it  given  you  ;  if 
so,  it  probably  required  time  for  the  giver  to  obtain  it. 
The  great  and  important  truth  which  I  wish  could  be  im- 
pressed upon  the  mind  of  every  land-owner  in  America  is, 
if  you  want  improvements,  begin,  yes,  begin  them  now ! 
Do  not  put  it  off  because  you  have  no  time  to  attend  to  it 
at  present,  nor  because  it  will  take  so  many  years,  and  a 
little  outlay  at  the  start.  You  may  say,  "  I  can  not  wait 
so  long."  "Who  asks  you  to  wait  ?  Time  moves  in  spite 
of  you.  Plant  the  seeds  to-day,  and  while  you  are  making 
up  your  mind  whether  you  will  wait  a  few  years  for  them 
or  not,  the  trees  will  be  growing. 

How  often  do  we  meet  men  with  abundance  of  means 
who  will  tell  you  they  would  like  to  have  a  few  trees  here 
or  there,  a  vineyard,  or  orchard,  or  a  grove,  and  you  pro- 
pose that  they  should  immediately  commence  planting ; 

1* 


